


Kizuna

by LStar



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Angst, F/F, M/M, abit of fluff, anxiety attack, i am a lonely ringo x masato shipper pls help me, idk why i made this, ptsd maybe, ranmaru is protective, real issues discussed, reiji was attacked, this thing is one big oneshot of sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 13:11:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16661669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LStar/pseuds/LStar
Summary: As Reiji passed by an alley, hands shot out and grabbed his arm, yanking him back and covering his mouth, a sharp blade held against his throat, making him go still. "Don't move, or I swear I'll slit your throat right here and now," a voice hissed in his ear. Reiji struggled to see who his attacker was, but it was too dark to make them out. He did note a small goatee, and a mask covering his upper face. "Give me all of your money, and your jacket, now." The attacker threw Reiji against the wall, towering over him. When Reiji didn't move, the attacker snarled. "You have five seconds before I pound your face into the concrete! Five..."Reiji took in his surroundings, mind on overdrive."Four..."His hand curled around some dirt and rocks."Three..."He had to do it. He had to run."Two..."Now!"One."





	Kizuna

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I'm a terrible person

 

"Okay Kotobuki-san, you're free to go," Reiji's modelling agent called out. Reiji, dressed in a snazzy white button up with a green tie and some white designer pants and white shoes with green gems at the heels, his hair brushed out of his face, smiled to himself once the final picture was finished. "Well? How'd they turn out?" he asked, beaming as he hurried over. "Fine, they're fine," his photographer murmured, then glanced at him. "You can go on and hang the outfit up in the changing room, we'll get it dry cleaned tonight," he instructed. Reiji saluted. "Alright!" he turned on his heel and headed to the dressing rooms, picking up his bag and grabbing his outfit from it, changing from his modeling outfit back.

His normal outfit consisted of a green and black striped shirt that reached his elbows, and a black jacket, some fading denim jeans, and boots. He messed with his hair a little to get it back into his everyday style. He playfully winked at himself in the mirror. "Okay! Time to go home to my three favorite people!" Reiji cheered to himself, snagging his modeling outfit from the ground to lay it across the bench before leaving, taking his bag with him.

"Bye! I'll see you guys in two days!" Reiji called, waving. He heard the small chorus of goodbyes before walking out the door, down the building and out the door. He smiled as he stretched. It was getting chilly. He couldn't wait until he got to his car, turned the heater on, put some music on and drive home. He glanced around, his smile turning into a frown.

Where... _was_ his car? He knew he parked it around here, yet there was only five cars in the parking lot. None of them were his. He sighed and took his phone out to call for a ride. He knew Ranmaru or Ai wouldn't mind driving him. He could also report his stolen car. Well, he wouldn't let a stolen car ruin the rest of his night!

Reiji pressed the power button on his phone. It flashed momentarily, before showing the low battery, then it turned off.

Cold night, stolen car, dead phone, and it would take him at _least_ an hour and a half to walk back to his apartment. Great. Reiji sighed, his soft lips parting slightly, his breath visible in the cool, winter air. He forced a smile and started the long walk home. _'No big, Reiji! It happens! Someone probably just needed my car! Yeah, that's it! This night can't get worse!'_ he kept his positive thoughts to himself, mentally pumping himself up. _'Besides, when you get home and explain why you're so late, Ai-Ai will do his best to warm you up, Ran-Ran would offer to cook something, and Myu-chan would give me some of his over sweet hot tea! This night won't get worse, it'll get better!'_ Reiji's forced smile turned to a real smile. The Quartet Night has been getting along so much better ever since they started living together. Sure, it was really...rocky, the first few days, and he nearly made them disband from his stress, but lately they've been better, and it honestly made Reiji want to cry in sheer joy.

A good twenty minutes passed, and Reiji was shivering. He rounded a corner and continued his long walk. As Reiji passed by an alley, hands shot out and grabbed his arm, yanking him back and covering his mouth, a sharp blade held against his throat, making him go still. "Don't move, or I swear I'll slit your throat right here and now," a voice hissed in his ear. Reiji struggled to see who his attacker was, but it was too dark to make them out. He did note a small goatee, and a mask covering his upper face. "Give me all of your money, and your jacket, now." The attacker threw Reiji against the wall, towering over him. When Reiji didn't move, the attacker snarled. "You have five seconds before I pound your face into the concrete! Five..."

Reiji took in his surroundings, mind on overdrive.

"Four..."

His hand curled around some dirt and rocks.

"Three..."

He had to do it. He had to run.

"Two..."

_Now!_

"One."

Reiji threw the fistful of dirt and rocks at his attacker and made a break for it. He could hear the man shouting and swearing before he heard heavy feet pounding against the pavement. "You're going to regret that, you little punk!" the man yelled, gaining ground. Reiji just ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Shit, why was his apartment so far away? Why were all these places closed? His gray eyes struggled to see against the blaring icy wind hitting his face, his lungs felt frozen and like they were shriveling up. His eyes landed on target. A store, with all the lights on, and customers! Yes! If he could just make it to that store ahead, then he'll be okay! He'll call the police, he'll call Ranmaru or Ai, and everything will be okay!

Unfortunately, that plan flew out the window the moment a rough hand grabbed the back of his jacket, yanking him back. Reiji let out a surprised choked noise and struggled to get out of his jacket. Before he could get his other arm out, the man grabbed Reiji's free arm and shoved him in the alley nearby. It was a dead end, too. Reiji stumbled back, blinking. The man pulled his fist back and punched Reiji, directly on the nose. Blood spurted from his nose, dripping onto the concrete and the entrance of the alleyway. Reiji struggled to get his bearings, but before he could, a fist connected with his gut. Reiji choked and stumbled back, falling onto his ass.

"You fucked with the wrong man, Reiji Kotobuki."

"How do you..?"

"SHUT UP!" A kick was aimed at his side, and another, and another, and another. Reiji was left completely winded when the kicks ceased, but the attack did not. Flurries of punches and slaps were aimed at him. "You're a selfish, stupid man! No one loves you! You're just a loud, obnoxious piece of shit!" the man stomped on Reiji's left ankle, and Reiji could _hear_ the snap it made. He let out a scream, which was silenced when the man began kicking and stomping his ribs. Blood spurted from his body from the attack. Reiji choked and desperately tried curling up, but his body was screaming at him not to move. Even if he wanted to get up, he couldn't. The man stepped back to admire the work he did on Reiji, before he moved his knee back and aimed the sharpest kick he could manage at Reiji's head.

Reiji could feel the blood begin to drip from his head.

"Live and learn, pal." Was the last thing Reiji heard before he lost all consciousness.

~

"Where is Reiji?" Ai asked after a very long silence. He glanced at the clock. It was well past ten. "Reiji should have been back at nine. They couldn't hold him for that much longer, and it's only a fifteen minute drive," he frowned, turning his attention back to the window, searching for the sleek green car that belonged to their loving self-proclaimed leader.

"Reiji probably stopped to help his mom at the bento shop," Ranmaru answered, giving his guitar a strum and scoffing, moving to tune it. "I'm sure he's fine."

Ai sighed. "Well, yes, but..."

"Reiji knows how to handle himself, he's fine," Camus said, sipping some tea and flipping the page of his book, "they probably kept him longer and he needed to run some errands. He may even be buying groceries."

"Grocery stores close at ten, it's twenty after," Ai replied, shooting down his theory.

Afew more minutes of silence, before Ranmaru's phone buzzed on the table. "Is it Reiji?" Ai asked, turning. Ranmaru leaned over, picking up his phone. "...No, it's Hyuga-san. He said to turn the TV on Channel 35. The hell he wants us to watch the news for?"

"Just turn it on!" Camus commanded.

Ai hurried over, turning the remote on and changing it to the news. There was a large crowd of people, an ambulance, and three cop cars being shown, as well as a news lady. "...and we received a report saying idol Reiji Kotobuki was found by a patron in an alley, hurt, and is not responding to anyone." The camera zoomed in a little towards where the paramedics were bringing Reiji in the ambulance on a stretcher. It was hard for everyone to see...except Ai. He could see it perfectly. His cyan eyes went wide and he let out a loud "Reiji!" slip from his lips.

"What the hell?!" Ranmaru shouted, jumping up. Even Camus's icy blue eyes were wide in shock.

"We gotta head to the hospital and see Reiji!" Ai said, his voice shaking. What? Why was his voice shaking? No, why was _he_ shaking? Was this what humans called...fear? He didn't like it. He hated it. He hated the fear he had for Reiji's wellbeing. The fact Reiji could very well _die_...Ai took a deep breath, knowing humans found it comforting when they did that.

"Let's go then! Stop wasting time!" Ranmaru snapped, and at once, all three were out the door.

Ranmaru drove them in his red car, with Ai up front and Camus in the back. Ranmaru's teeth were clenched, Ai was trying not to fidget, and Camus' face was blank, lips slightly pursed.

When they pulled up at the hospital several minutes later, they noticed a large crowd of people talking and shouting. Yeah, Reiji was there.

The three members of the Quartet Night got out and pushed through the crowd of people, while other people noticed them and gave them space. The three males went inside and headed directly for the waiting room, up to where the receptionist was. "Where's...Reiji Kotobuki?" Ranmaru panted. The lady looked at them, stunned then turned to her computer. "Um..! He's uh, in the ER right now. He was bleeding pretty badly, s-so..."

"The hell does that mean?" Ranmaru slammed his fist on the counter. "Ranmaru, you need to calm down," Ai chastised. Ranmaru glared at him. "How the hell can I calm down, knowing Reiji got himself into a shitload of trouble? I'm supposed to protect him, goddammit!"

Ai softened. "I understand. I too care for him, but...we can't lose professionalism."

"Reiji will be fine, don't make a scene," Camus pointed his scepter at Ranmaru, who started to growl in frustration. Ai steered Ranmaru away and all three males sat in a seat. Ai and Camus sat rigidly, while Ranmaru slouched.

Ai wasn't sure what was going on through Ranmaru and Camus' heads...but his was whirring a mile a second. How did this happen? Why did this happen? His mind started listing all the possibilities. Firstly, his car had to have been in bad shape, or even stolen, for him to be walking. And if he was walking, then he probably either dropped his phone somewhere, broke it, or it was dead.

No matter what the circumstances and chances were, Reiji was fucked either way, Ai decided.

The trio had been sitting there for precisely eight minutes forty two seconds before the door opened, with Ringo and Ryuya Hyuga coming in. "Is he okay?" Ringo asked worriedly. He was such a dad.

"He's not out yet," Ranmaru grumbled.

"He only recently got here, it's going to take some time before he's stable," Ai responded as calmly as he could.

"Poor Rei-chan," Ringo let out a small sob and a sniffle, pulling a handkerchief from his sleeve and blowing his nose.

The two teachers took a seat across from the remaining members of the Quartet Night. Ai observed them. Hyuga was wearing a brown tux, and Ringo wore a cute pink sweater with a knee length brown skirt, black leggings and brown fuzzy boots.

A full two hours, forty seven minutes and twenty six seconds passed before the door creaked open. The doctor came out, a clipboard in hand. "Er...there were visitors for Kotobuki-san?" he called. At once, the Quartet Night and the teachers stood up. "Is Kotobuki going to live?" Camus spoke, surprising the other waiting members. The doctor nodded. "Oh yes, Kotobuki-san will most definitely live. However..."

"However..?" Ringo urged.

"Kotobuki-san has...a ton of injuries, including a head injury, so, there's no way of knowing when he'll wake up. It could be hours, or it could be years," the doctor explained. Camus' eyes narrowed, Ranmaru's fists clenched, Ai shut his eyes while he heard Hyuga swear softly and Ringo let out a sob.

Ai felt overwhelmed. No...Reiji can't be in a coma. Not like Aine...he had to wake up, for gods sake does he not know how many people he'd be letting down by staying in a coma?! Ai wanted to drop to his knees, to cry, to do...something. But he couldn't. He honestly felt frozen in place.

"Can we see him?" Ranmaru asked, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"Of course. He is in room nine." The doctor stepped aside, bowing slightly. The five males headed directly to the room Reiji was in. And...well, if Ai were human, he was sure his breath would catch in his throat, taking in the site that lay before him.

Reiji was laying in the hospital bed, an IV in his arm, an oxygen mask connected onto his face, a heart monitor, his head was bandaged and his lip was split, he had on a hospital gown, but judging from the slight size difference, Ai could tell his ribs were taped, a bandage was around his right arm, and his ankle was propped up and wrapped.

"What...the hell?" Ranmaru choked out.

"Whoever attacked him did a number on him," the doctor said quietly from behind them. "His head had been kicked pretty hard, most of the blood loss was from that. He was also given a black eye, his nose is broken, his lip was slightly split, his arm was scraped and bleeding, six of his ribs are broken and four of them are bruised, his knees suffered some scrapes, and his ankle is broken."

Ringo stifled a sob.

"Shit," Ranmaru swore. "Thank you for taking care of him, doctor," Ai bowed. "We appreciate it," Camus added smoothly. Ringo nodded his head rapidly. "Yes! Thank you!" Hyuga bowed silently.

"Of course. It's my job. Besides, I am a fan of his solo songs," the doctor smiled wryly and left the room.

"Reiji...who the hell did this to you..?" Ranmaru whispered, aghast.

Ai sat down beside Reiji's bedside, moving the gently grip his hand, knowing if Reiji was awake he'd be grateful for the silent support from the cyan haired male. _'Reiji, you have to wake up,'_ was the only thought on Ai's mind. No doubt on everyone's mind.

However, all they could do was wait until Reiji could wake up.

~

The next day, the Quartet Night had a group interview for a magazine, which had to be cancelled, as the magazine needed all _four_ of them there. So the three males went along with their other scheduled events until that afternoon. Ai received a message, from Otoya. He had just finished his work and was about to stop by the hospital. He opened his phone when he sat down in the car.

 

_Otoya_

_Mikaze-senpai? Do you know where Rei-chan is? He hasn't answered his phone all day. I get that he's busy, but Tokiya and I are worried..._

_Sent at: 5:43pm_

 

Oh, right, STARISH was unaware of their fallen friend. He sighed and typed out his response.

 

_Ai_

_Yes. I do. He is currently residing in the hospital._

_Sent at: 5:45pm_

 

He got an answer almost immediately.

 

_Otoya_

_What?! The hospital?! Why?! We're coming over! Is that okay?!_

_Sent at: 5:45pm_

 

_Ai_

_Yes, that is fine. I will explain when you arrive._

_Sent at: 5:46pm_

 

Ai set his phone down and started the blue car he owned. The car Reiji had surprised him with on his birthday. He sighed and drove to the hospital, hopping out once he parked and leaving the car, locking it. He walked inside, stopping by the receptionist, different from the one last night. "Hello mam," he said politely, "I'm here to see Reiji Kotobuki."

"Okay hun, will you sign here please?" she handed him a clipboard, which Ai signed. She nodded to him. "Room nine."

"I know. Thank you." Ai bowed slightly and opened the door, walking down the hall and to the room where Reiji was being held. He looked the exact same as last night, Ai noted, not surprised but still disappointed. He sat down in the same spot, grabbing Reiji's hand again.

Sixteen minutes and eleven seconds passed before multiple feet were heard stampeding down the hallway. Ah, STARISH was here. He let go of Reiji's hand just as the seven other idols entered, Otoya in lead. "Rei-chan!" Otoya shouted, his red eyes wide. He ran over, ignoring Tokiya's quiet hushing. Tears fell down Otoya's face. "Oh my god what happened? Is he okay?" Otoya sobbed. Ai stared at the redhead, his cyan eyes turning to six other pairs of worried eyes.

"Reiji got attacked last night." Ai finally said.

"WHAT?!" STARISH all shouted, but Otoya started crying even harder. "Someone hurt Rei-chan..? Why?! Rei-chan's nice and kind and...and..!" Otoya blubbered. Tokiya put a hand on Otoya's shoulder. Otoya turned to him, hugging him tightly and crying in his shoulder. Tokiya paused, hesitating, before relenting, giving Otoya's back a pat. "Why would anyone hurt Rei-chan?" Natsuki asked worriedly. Syo pounding a fist in the palm of his hand. "If I find who hurt him, I'll..!"

"Syo-chan calm down..."

"How can I calm down? Kotobuki-senpai...he...he would never hurt a fly!"

"Maybe that's why he was attacked," Masato suggested. "Oh? Because they knew he wouldn't fight back?" Ren asked, cocking an eyebrow. "No," Ai cut in, "if he had to, Reiji would fight to defend himself, he was likely overpowered. As to why he was attacked, I am unsure."

"Will Rei-chan be okay?" Otoya asked tearfully. Ai closed his eyes. "We don't know. He's in a coma."

Ai's answer only had Otoya sob harder, clinging to Tokiya like he was his lifeline.

"The best we can do is be there for him," Tokiya said quietly. Masato stepped forward. "Hold on. I read once that coma patients can hear you. Maybe if we treated him like we normally would with him awake, he'll have a better chance of waking up."

Ai processed what Masato was proposing. "...You are only half correct. That information is stored in my data, but it is unclear if Reiji can hear us," he pointed out. "So, do we just...try it anyway?" Otoya asked, sniffling, turning from Tokiya. "It wouldn't hurt to try it," Natsuki agreed hesitantly.

Otoya dropped beside Reiji, gripping one hand with both of his, his eyes glistening in tears, his lower lip trembling. "Rei-chan, can you hear me? We miss you, we love you, please wake up soon," he pleaded, "you still haven't helped me with my magic tricks! You promised to help me with my practice!"

"You promised to help Otoya eat healthier," Tokiya closed his eyes.

"You promised to show me how to play maracas!" Syo added.

"You promised to show me how to cook your fried chicken," Natsuki put in.

"You promised to look over my song and help me with it," Masato said quietly.

"You promised to show me your seduction skill," Ren said.

"You promised to teach me how to dance better," Cecil said.

Ai watched them blankly, glancing at Reiji. "You made a bunch of promises, and if you stay asleep, you won't keep any of them," he said calmly. He felt ridiculous talking to an unconscious body, but there was a 50% chance Reiji could hear them, so...he sighed, not so much as a twitch of a response from Reiji. Not that he wasn't surprised. Otoya continued shaking and crying. Ai glanced at Reiji.

_Come on, Reiji..._

_~_

It had been a little over a full week before Reiji woke up. He woke up while Ranmaru, Otoya and Tokiya were in the room, everyone else was busy. When he woke up, he let out a small groan. Otoya jumped, his eyes widening, tears springing to his eyes.

"Rei-chan?!" he pleaded, "are you awake? Can you hear me? Rei-chan!"

"O...toyan...?"

"Rei-chan! Thank god you're okay!" Otoya hugged Reiji, bawling in his shoulder. Reiji blinked, his face nearly covered in soft red hair. He struggled to move, putting a hand on Otoya's back. "Hey..." his voice was raspy, it had Otoya letting out a small wail, "Otoyan...I'm fine..." he managed a smile.

"We missed you, Kotobuki-san," Tokiya said. Reiji managed to smile. "Heh...thanks Tokki."

"You idiot...what happened?" Ranmaru asked. Reiji fell silent, glancing at Tokiya and Otoya. He knew he'd start crying if he told what happened. "Hey, Otoyan? Tokki..? Will you grab me some water?" his voice cracked. Otoya didn't seem to catch on, but he nodded, offering Reiji a smile. Tokiya, however, did catch on to Reiji's desperation and grabbed Otoya's arm, steering him out of the room. Reiji waited until he didn't hear their footsteps anymore. He glanced at Ranmaru. "Ran-Ran, I..."

"Do you have any fucking idea how worried we were?"

"I'm sor-"

"No, fucking listen to me, goddammit! Why didn't you go back inside and call for a ride there, if your car and phone weren't working? Walking home was stupid!"

"But I-"

"Kotobuki! You fucking scared everyone! For over a week you had everyone down in the dumps! Me, Mikaze, that ice cube, STARISH, Ringo-san, Hyuga-san, even HEAVENS asked us to give you their best regards! Your fans are worried too!"

Tears fell down Reiji's face. "I'm sorry."

Ranmaru sighed, running his hand through his white fluffy hair. "...No. I'm sorry. I just...fuck, I've been so pissed at myself for not protecting you."

Reiji peeked at him, gray eyes filled to the brim with tears. "You were?"

Ranmaru nodded and leaned over. "We aren't Quartet Night without you. We care, even if it...doesn't seem like it. Okay?" Ranmaru rubbed the back of his neck. Reiji nodded, wiping his tears. "I just...didn't expect to..."

"I know. No one thinks something like that can happen to them. I think you got off lucky, compared to people who get killed, sold, kidnapped..." he listed off. Fresh tears made their way to Reiji's eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Just...don't be an idiot, next time."

"I won't..."

Afew minutes passed before Otoya and Tokiya returned. Otoya opened the water bottle for Reiji, handing it to him. Reiji accepted it, taking sips. "I let everyone know you're okay, so, they'll all be visiting as soon as they can. Haruka-chan's on her way with Tomo-chan right now."

"Ah, my favorite kouhai," Reiji joked. Otoya pouted. Reiji managed a small laugh, wincing slightly at the pain. "Don't worry, Otoyan, Tokki! You're both my #1 kouhais! No one will ever replace you!" At this, Otoya leaned over and hugged Reiji, who enthusiastically returned it, opening one hand for Tokiya. Tokiya hesitated but joined the hug.

Several minutes passed, with the four males all talking, before the door slid open, the familiar faces of Nanami and Tomochika appearing. "Kotobuki-senpai! You're really okay!" Nanami's yellow eyes teared up in joy. Reiji gave her a reassuring thumbs up. "I'll be outta here in no time, kiddo, don't worry about me!"

The two females came in. Tomochika put an arm around Nanami. Reiji briefly wondered if they were finally dating yet. It was amazing how many members of STARISH were dating in secret. He knew Syo and Natsuki were dating, he knew Otoya and Tokiya were dating, he knew Masato has been eyeing Ringo allot, he knew Nanami and Tomochika liked eachother, he was also sure Nagi and Shion of HEAVENS were eyeing eachother, and he himself had a crush on a certain cyan haired male. Yep, love was in the air.

As the hours rolled by, more and more people showed up.

Natsuki and Syo arrived at the same time, with Syo welcoming him back, and Natsuki giving him a hug. Masato and Ren showed up almost at the same time, only a couple minutes apart. Masato told him how much he was missed, and Ren only gave a minor smirk as a greeting. Camus showed up then, giving him a stern lecture about worrying people, which lead to Ranmaru snapping at him to chill out, and the two arguing until STARISH broke it up. Ringo and Hyuga-sensei arrived at the same time, with Ringo hugging him like Otoya and Natsuki, happily welcoming him back. Hyuga gave a quiet "good to see you".

Ai was the last one to arrive.

Reiji looked up when Ai arrived, a smile etching across his face. Ai blinked, his own face softening. "Reiji..." he spoke, walking over. Reiji moved, opening his arms. "Ai-Ai," he choked out. Ai, much to everyone's surprise, embraced Reiji. He never returned Reiji's hugs until now. Reiji looked exceptionally happy at this, his cheeks flushing light pink.

"I am...glad, you're okay, Reiji," Ai spoke softly.

Reiji buried his face in Ai's shoulder, smiling so much it hurt.

"How long will Rei-chan be in the hospital?" Natsuki asked.

"By my calculations, he should be here for another two weeks," Ai replied.

"Two weeks, huh..." Reiji murmured. "Hey don't worry, Rei-chan! We'll visit you every single day so you won't be lonely!" Otoya said, pumping his fists in the air happily. Reiji smiled at his cute little kouhai. "Ah, thanks Otoyan!"

"Kotobuki-senpai, I don't mean to be the one to drop the ball, but do you, by any chance, remember who attacked you?" Masato asked carefully. Reiji's face dropped. "...No. I don't. I...I remember seeing a goatee, but he had a mask on. He was big, like, probably a little over six feet, and he was really muscular."

"So we really don't have much to go on," Ren said slowly.

"No...I'm sorry."

"No, no!" Otoya grabbed Reiji's hand with both of his. "You're fine! No one blames you for not knowing!" he reassured him with a big smile.

Reiji managed a small smile back.

"Well everyone, let's leave Rei-chan to rest," Ringo gave his hands a small clap. With everyone wishing Reiji their best regards and goodbyes, Reiji watched them go, smiling slightly.

_Everyone really did care. Too bad it took me screwing up for me to realize it._

~

Two weeks went by slowly for everyone, especially for Reiji. All he could do was sleep, wait for the nurses to help him to the shower, wait for the nurses to give him food, and have a nurse check his vitals. Honestly, the highlight of his day was whenever his friends would visit him. He was grateful, as he understood how hard it was to squeeze daily visits in with a tight schedule. Sure, the police visited him for afew hours on one of those days to get information on his attack, but Reiji wouldn't count that as _fun_.

When the two weeks were up, Reiji was released from the hospital, with Ai picking him him. He was also prescribed painkillers, which he and Ai later picked up from the pharmacy when they were ready.

Unfortunately, after the two males got home, Ai had to leave for an interview about a solo song he worked on with Nanami, leaving Reiji alone. He wouldn't admit it...but Reiji was terrified. He didn't want to be alone, what if something happened..?

No. Nothing would happen. He was safely at home.

Right?

Reiji's breath caught in his throat as he began to shake, glancing around the living room. Before the panic could settle in, the door opened, startling the poor brunet. He whipped his head around, relaxing when he noticed it was only Camus. "Oh! Hey Myu-chan!" Reiji chirped, hoping it hid his settling fear. Camus merely grunted, picking up his water bottle and taking a sip from it.

Camus sat at the bar area, opening a book. Reiji relaxed, smiling abit. That smile dropped a moment later, though, as he realized, he was no longer scared.

_Oh fuck._

~

A solid week has passed since he was released from the hospital, and it was Ai's day off. Reiji was walking (more like hobbling, as he had crutches for his ankle) around town with the slightly taller cyan haired male. They had gone out for some coffee, discussing their next few days, their kouhais, their kouhais careers...honestly, whenever Reiji gushed about Otoya and Tokiya, he felt like a doting older brother. Maybe even an Uncle.

As the two males walked back, Reiji caught sight of someone who seemed familiar. He  _swore_ he saw someone staring at him. Someone with a goatee. He hobbled over, gray eyes scanning the area. No, he must've been imagining things. There was too many people up and about at this time to be certain he saw  _him._ The man who completely ruined Reiji's life. The man who had Reiji looking over his shoulder. He shook his head and turned back to Ai, only to freeze.

Ai was gone.

_No. No, no, no, nononononononono-_

Panic started to set in for the young man. His breath quickened. "Ai-Ai?" he called shakily, looking around. He hobbled forward, searching for cyan hair. When he didn't see his robotic friend, Reiji let out a choked, tearless sob. He hobbled to a nearby bench, sitting down and setting his crutches aside. He curled in on himself, shaking.  _'Okay, calm down, calm down, calm down, it'll be fine, calm DOWN GODDAMMIT!'_ his hands traveled up to his hair and began fruitlessly tugging, his vision blurred by tears. What if Ai abandoned him? Oh god what if..?

"Reiji?"

Reiji's head snapped up, his tearful gray eyes meeting concerned cyan eyes. "Ai-Ai..?" Reiji gasped. Ai kneeled down as Reiji shoved himself forward for a hug, wrapping his arms around Ai's neck, burying his face in Ai's neck. Ai stiffened but returned the hug. "Breathe, Reiji, it's okay now," Ai whispered. Reiji struggled to follow his voice, but with a bit of coaching from Ai, Reiji gradually calmed down.

"Are you alright, Reiji?"

Reiji merely nodded.

Ai sighed. "Come on, let's go home. We can...cuddle, on the couch, or your bed, put on a movie, we can eat some of the donuts Camus brought back," Ai said softly. Reiji peeked at him, his eyes still glistening. "We can..?" he whispered. Ai nodded and smiled gently at him. "Yeah, we can," Ai leaned over, grabbing the crutches and standing up, offering a hand. Reiji accepted the hand, pulling himself up and grabbing the crutches, settling them under his arms.

Ai lead him home for all the promises he'd made.

And man, cuddling with Ai was the most relaxing thing Reiji's ever experienced in his life.

~

A month has passed since Reiji was released from the hospital. He was off his crutches, and his wounds were, for the most part, healed. He was back at work, continuing the modeling job he'd had before...the _incident_ happened. Ranmaru had dropped him off that day since he was in the area for an interview with a TV company.

"Kotobuki-san, try another pose," his photographer called. Reiji, wearing an outfit unlike last time, tried for a more mysterious pose. He had on a long brown trench coat, a white button up with a green vest, gray pants and black shoes. He moved his bangs down abit to cover an eye, giving a serious look to the camera. "There we go, that's better," his photographer encouraged. His coworker watched on, a frown twitching at his lips.

Once Reiji was done, he repeated the normal process, changing from his modeling outfit and hanging it up, changing back, and leaving the building, where Ranmaru was apparently, according to his text, waiting by the front door.

When he reached Ranmaru's side, his coworker passed by, giving him a sharp pat on the side. "Good job, Kotobuki-san," he said. Reiji froze, his gray eyes widening. He stepped back. "No...no way..." he gasped. Ranmaru hurried over to where Reiji was. "Reiji? What's wrong?"

"Him...him...he...he was the one...." Reiji swallowed. Of course. The voice was a dead giveaway, and plus he also had a goatee. Ranmaru seemed to catch on, his mismatched eyes narrowing into slits. "Reiji, call the police. He isn't getting away."

And like that, Ranmaru was gone, and it left Reiji fumbling to call the police. Once he explained the situation, they promised to be quick. By the time the call was done, Reiji looked up and saw Ranmaru pinning his coworker down facefirst on the concrete, his muscular arms holding his coworker's arms behind his back. "Ran-Ran!" Reiji ran forward. His coworker twisted, glaring at him. Reiji froze.

"This is your fault, Reiji Kotobuki!"

"W-what? How is you attacking me...my fault?" Reiji managed to choke out. Before he could answer, Ranmaru slammed his head down. "Don't you fucking dare speak," he seethed. His coworker groaned in pain.

Thankfully, the wait wasn't long. The police arrived and took over, the man was pleading innocent. "I didn't do anything wrong! I told Kotobuki-san good job, and suddenly he and his friend attacked me!"

"He's the one," Reiji whispered shakily, "he's the one who jumped me, and mugged me."

"You fucking prick! I didn't do anything!"

The cops shoved him into the back of their car, slamming the door shut. One of the police offiers turned to Reiji. "We'll let you know when your car turns up. We'll get answers from him, you live at the apartment complex not too far from here, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. You two boys have a safe trip home."

"We will," Ranmaru grunted as the police got in the car and drove away.

It went dead silent when they were gone. "Reiji? Are you...okay?" Ranmaru sounded slightly hesitant and unsure. Reiji nodded, though tears were in his eyes. "I'm just, glad that...that _he's_ going to jail. I can't believe my own coworker would..." he shook his head, "why, Ran-Ran? I don't understand how the attack was my fault..." he hiccuped. Ranmaru let out a  _tch_ noise. "He was victim blaming you, Reiji. He was probably just jealous that your career was better than his."

"That's...why?"

"I would guess." Ranmaru put a hand on Reiji's head and ruffled his hair. "Come on. We're going home."

~

Once at home, Ai welcomed the two of them, surprising them with dinner. And, of course, it was everything a person needed for their body. Meat, vegetables, rice... "Thank you, Ai-Ai!" Reiji cheered as he began eating. Ai watched him, eating at a much slower pace. He glanced at Ranmaru, who shook his head.

When dinner was done, the plates were rinsed off and set to soak in the soapy hot water, as Reiji retired to his room. Ai came in after a little bit, gently tapping his knuckles against the doorframe. "Reiji?"

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yep! Everything's fine now."

Ai walked in and sat on the bed next to Reiji, glancing at him with a soft look. Reiji brightened and scooted over. Ai leaned back against Reiji's pillows, and Reiji laid his head on Ai's lap. "So what happened?" Ai asked, running his fingers through Reiji's chocolate brown locks.

"Police got the guy who attacked me."

Ai didn't reply. He only nodded and continued his movement. A couple quiet minutes passed before Reiji's phone buzzed. Ai, being closer to it, glanced at it. He read the message. Reiji looked up at him. "What's it say?"

"They found your car. The policeman dropped it off."

Reiji blinked, and smiled softly, closing his eyes.

Yeah, everything was going to be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh...yah I procrastinated this idea too long. Comments are appreciated qwq


End file.
